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79. Alfred
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Salt to the Sea, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Agency, Willpower, and Fate
Storytelling and Fantasy
Memory and Survival
Family and Community vs. Selfishness
Summary
Analysis
Joana does her best to treat the many wounded soldiers flowing off the ambulance train. Dr. Richter asks her how many men she has examined who are healthy enough to survive a journey on the ship. She tells him confidently that she has counted seventy-three, although, in reality, she isn’t sure. Still, she feels that she must try to save as many men as possible.
Joana does her best to help as many soldiers as she can. Although she does not know them, and although she is not even sure she can save them, she lies so as to give the greatest number of men a chance at survival.
Themes
